ISL 2019/20: Eelco Schattorie - The expectations are high but we are ready

Eelco Schattorie will experience the Indian Super League (ISL) from the Kerala Blasters dugout for the first time when his new club hosts ATK in the opener of the 2019/20 season.

The former NorthEast United manager is not happy with his team’s pre-season preparation and the growing injury list that saw an unfortunate inclusion of India international Sandesh Jhingan. He feels that the club needed another centre-back but maintained that the atmosphere at the club is good. Former Mumbai City defender Raju Gaikwad has been added to the roster to replace the injured Jhingan.

“We have a great team, we bought good foreigners. Preseason was not how I wanted it to be. We did not have the perfect preparation. We had some foreign players arriving with injuries. We are 2-3 weeks behind, we need to catch up,” he said.

“I have worked with Raju (Gaikwad) before, we needed another CB with experience. His fitness is not up to the mark, he didn’t have a preseason. (But overall) the atmosphere in the squad is good.”

The 47-year-old explained the departure of Jithin MS, who left the club after two seasons without playing for the first team. Former Kerala boss David James had pointed out his physique to be the reason for lack of playing time.

“Jithin (MS) is a fantastic player but he is still very young. He is not the tallest, he is not the biggest, that makes it very difficult for him. Hopefully, he will get playing time outside so he can grow," Schattorie said.

“I encourage young players but they have to bring something to the table, we are not a charity.”

Despite the injuries, the Dutchman believes his team is ready to kick-start the season amid high expectations.

“Opening games are always difficult, there is going to be huge expectations, that is part of the game. It is all about stabilising the team, I think we are ready to face ATK,” he stated.

“There are a lot of things (regarding injuries) I want to say regarding injuries but I can’t.”

ISL is set to be the top flight of Indian football and having coached in the two professional leagues in India, Eelco shared his thoughts on the development.

He said: “In most European countries, coaches get together and evaluate how the season was, and they come back to the federation to improve. Here, I never got together with anyone. These are small things but they matter."

ISL/Sportzpics

“I am a big fan of teams who won the most games being the champions. At the same time, you are looking at a format in a country where you need to get people excited. It is not something I am against. I feel that the team that has the most points should win the title.”

Schattorie also spoke about how teams such as ATK, NorthEast United FC and Kerala have not found stability in the coaching department yet.

“ATK has a very strong squad. It is very difficult to get information about other teams in India. They are one of the best teams in the league.

“The three clubs ATK, NEUFC and Kerala, they have had the most amount of coaches. So it is all about getting stability. Last year, I had the same idea. Here, I have a good relationship with management. I think we have better depth than I had last year.

“At the same, I have a lot of younger players. That means, sometimes we have ups and downs as young players are sometimes inconsistent.

“It is not like a tomato soup where I can copy all the ingredients. The whole team is almost new. I am ready to take up the challenge,” he signed off.